Nikhilesh De

Nikhilesh De is CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation, covering regulators, lawmakers and institutions. When he's not reporting on digital assets and policy, he can be found admiring Amtrak or building LEGO trains. He owns < $50 in BTC and < $20 in ETH. He was named the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers' Journalist of the Year in 2020.

Nikhilesh De

Latest from Nikhilesh De


Policy

Binance Founder Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao Released on $175M Bond, Will Be Sentenced in February

Binance settled charges with the DOJ, agreeing to pay $4.3 billion.

Changpeng Zhao speaking at Consensus 2022. (Shutterstock/CoinDesk)

Opinion

Binance's CZ and the End of the 'Borderless' Crypto Company

We probably will never see another company quite like Binance. Crypto itself might be borderless, but crypto companies are not beyond the reach of US law.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (Getty Images)

Policy

Binance, Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao Handing Over Record $1.35B Fine in CFTC Settlement

The company's CFTC penalties, which were paired with an agreement to give back a separate $1.35 billion to wronged customers, are a big piece of the $4.3 billion in total cash going to the U.S. government, including the U.S. DOJ and Treasury.

CFTC Chair Rostin Behnam speaks at a press conference on Nov. 21, 2023. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

Binance to Make 'Complete Exit' From U.S., Pay Billions to FinCEN, OFAC on Top of DOJ Settlement

The crypto exchange, which is settling charges with the Department of Justice, will appoint a monitor as well.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland discusses the Binance case on Nov. 21, 2023 (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

Binance to Pay $4.3B to Settle U.S. Criminal Case; Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao Resigns as CEO and Pleads Guilty in Seattle

Richard Teng takes over as CEO of the world's largest crypto exchange.

CZ and Binance Logo (Twitter/Modified by CoinDesk)

Policy

Kraken Accused by SEC of Operating Unregistered Platform, Improperly Mixing Customer Funds

The U.S. crypto exchange is the latest targeted by the Securities and Exchange Commission in a series of similar actions being fought in court by other companies.

Kraken co-founder and chairman Jesse Powell was CEO of the company during most of the time the Securities and Exchange Commission has accused it of operating illegally. (CoinDesk)

Policy

Sam Bankman-Fried's Trial May Be Over, but The Bahamas Is Living Its Own Trial

Bankman-Fried may have been convicted, but The Bahamas appears to be dealing with the stigma of rolling out a red carpet for FTX.

A musician in downtown Nassau, The Bahamas on a day no cruise ship had docked
Courtesy: Amitoj Singh/CoinDesk
Date: October 2023

Policy

Ramaswamy Shares Crypto Plan, Making Him the Only GOP Candidate Who Has One

The 2024 U.S. presidential candidate would fire most of the SEC, direct the government to back off crypto software developers and ease a path for digital assets as commodities.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has shared his plan for how he'd deal with crypto. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Policy

Stablecoin Issuer Paxos Plans New U.S. Dollar-Backed Token for Singapore Operations

The company plans to issue a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin upon receiving full approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, its central bank.

Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla at Invest 2018 (CoinDesk)

Policy

NYDFS Rolls Out Stricter Guidelines for Cryptocurrency Listings, De-listings

The new approval process for token listing and delistings forms part of NYSDFS' plans to "protect consumers and minimize market disruption."

NYDFS Superintendent Adrienne Harris (Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock/CoinDesk)